Do ‘you’

About a couple of weeks ago, I quit my job. In a world where you are told to stay at it until you make it, I left a job I wasn’t happy with in a place that I have spent three wonderful years with. As a naturally sentimental person, I was expecting to be broken. Ironically, I
didn’t feel anything other than relief.

As I write this, I sent a Facebook message to my brother asking him when the last time he has seen me that job. But even before he was able to answer, I knew in my heart that it has been a long time.

There was really nothing wrong with it except maybe for not finding my fit in advertising. I have always been about relationships and getting to know people as opposed to the flashy one-time-get-your-attention paraphernalia. I loved what I learned from its testy waters but I never quite loved the pressure, the deadlines, and the constant nitpicking.

Consequently, environment I once loved became toxic and I felt trapped in wanting to please everyone while keeping my head afloat.

If there’s anything I realized from this situation is this—leave when you want to.

While there are some of us who have bills to pay (and yes, that includes me), it’s important to be completely honest about the realities of life. I was stuck in a job and environment I wasn’t happy with, simply because I thought it was the right thing to do.

I wasn’t kind enough to myself to find out if I was still happy, if I was still growing and, most importantly, if I was still where I needed to be. Looking back, I realized I could have saved myself a lot of time had I learned to tell myself that I’ve had enough. In my mind, verbally saying it would betray the company I have served for so long. What I didn’t realize was that in staying, I would lose the essence of who I was.

Additionally, I have also distanced myself from friendships that were no longer a two way street. Loyalty can be a double-edged sword. I have long accepted that yes, you can walk away from people who don’t add anything to your life.

I know many of you are trapped in similar situations—often bogged down by “the right thing” thus, betraying your inner voice and working so hard to please others without realizing that in order to have thriving relationships, we must be at peace with ourselves.

So if there’s anything you need to reflect on today, it’s this: be true to who you are and do it immediately. Life becomes messy when we refuse to be honest to ourselves because in our denial, demons come out to play.

Listen to your inner voice. Treat yourself well. Be free. In doing so, you will find the peace that you have been longing for and in this, you will see that life is even better than you what have dreamt of.